Friday, December 26, 2014

‘Tis
the season when just about everyone brings a tree inside to decorate for the
holidays. Balsam Fir is the top choice here in Maine, although some people
might go for a Scotch Pine or a Spruce. Balsam Fir gives off a heavy, woodsy
scent that can’t be matched and it holds its needles longer than a spruce. Have
you ever wondered why many so people practice the Christmas tree tradition this
time of year? Where did it all begin? Some say it began in Germany during the
eighth century when Saint Boniface cut an oak tree to stop a sacrifice. Later,
a fir tree grew from the spot where the oak tree had been and so the old Saint
proclaimed it a holy tree. Others say a fellow named Martin Luther started the
tradition in the 16th century by bringing a tree inside and lighting
it with candles for his family, and he dedicated the tree to the birth of
Christ. Apparently, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert popularized the Christmas
tree in England during the 1800s. We will probably never know for sure where the
Christmas tree tradition began, but we will continue the tradition just the
same. Please be safe this holiday season and keep your tree from drying out and
becoming a fire hazard. Try to keep the tree in water at all times and take it
out before it gets too dry. Never allow any open flame around your tree and
remember to turn the lights off any time the tree will be left unattended. I
would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a safe and happy Christmas
Season. Thank you.

Robert
Fogg is from Q-Team Tree Service in Naples and is also a licensed Arborist.

Last Saturday, family and friends gathered at the Windham
Baptist Church for A Very Sandy Christmas Part 2. Piano students and singers
performed to raise money for Raymond resident Sandy Winde who has been battling
pancreatic cancer for more than two years.

“It went very well! We raised over $4,000 and had 23 people
get their heads shaved!” said organizer Emily Callahan. Emily had her head
shaved in a show of support for Sandy. “I am very cold. I've been wearing a hat
since I got it shaved!”

Over 250 people attend, piano students played and two former
chamber singers sang a duet. The only glitch was that there weren’t enough
chairs for people to sit on. “There were people standing in the back and on the
sides of the room,” said Callahan.

Sleigh
bells sounded as the garage door at 103 Swett Road opened to reveal Santa Claus
peering over square-rimmed glasses at the families arriving at Santa Land,
2014. Raising his arms and chanting “Ho. Ho. Ho.” through a curly white beard, he
invited the children to come ahead and tell him what they wanted for Christmas.

Outside
Santa’s garage was a seasonal wonderland of holiday music and bright light displays
in the shapes of reindeer, candy canes, Santa and Mrs. Claus, Disney characters
and Rudolph. Best of all, in the spirit of the season, the admission price to
Santa Land was a donation to the Windham Food Pantry. Families arrived in
numbers estimated at over 200, bearing gifts of canned goods, toiletries,
clothing and toys.

Santa,
seated comfortably in an ornate chair, thanked the families for their
contributions and listened intently to the children’s requests. A boy, 4, asked
for a game, an older girl wanted “a bunch of books,” and Brody, 3, still sleepy
from the car ride said he wanted a train. Tory, 5, wearing a dark knit hat and
pink mittens, wanted a fairy doll, while Mom and Dad, seeing an opening,
stepped forward and asked for a car and a new motorcycle.

Three
year old Jack whispered his wish to Santa, who nodded his consent. Next in
line, a girl leaned toward Santa and exclaimed, “I just want Christmas.”

The
two hour annual event, now in its 10th year, took place at the home
of Sandy and Ron Wain in Windham. The event began again a conversation with her
son, Dave. They were stringing outdoor holiday lights as she explained to him that
the holidays were approaching and the local food pantry, where she was a
volunteer, was low on supplies. With that brief conversation the idea for Santa
Land was born and, in the spirit of giving, the garage door started going up
every December to the sound of sleigh bells.

The dining room at Windham Residential
Care, an assisted living facility, was unusually active on a recent December
afternoon.

Girl Scouts from Troop 1453 joined with
several residents at the River Road facility to put the finishing touches on
blankets they were creating for Project Linus, a national organization that
donates colorful and decorative blankets to children in hospitals and shelters.

The blanket project is one part of the Scout
troop’s World of Girls Journey badge, which later will include Adopting a
Family for the holidays and singing Christmas carols at Windham’s Ledgewood
Manor.

Sunday, December 14, 2014

Philip Dow held his Eagle Ceremony last
Sunday where he was presented his Eagle Scout patch, medal and certificate by
his family. Philip is son of Steve and Nancy Dow. The ceremony was held at the
North Windham Union Church and run by Troop 51 from Windham.

Phil’s Eagle project was to build an
addition on to a building owned by the Windham Historical Society. The building
will be an authentic school house in the Village Green project. The project
took hundreds of hours.